12

Verity already has fire crackling in her hands again, and Evander is intent on the sky, tracking teleportation patterns. Just as you start to head north, a tendril swirls into a nearby building and splits the roof in half with a great splintering crash, but neither of them looks back.

You expected orders from Verity, or chatter from Evander, but they're both grim and silent as you make your way north. In the distance, beneath the demonic screeching, you hear Isidora barking commands to a group of guards.

Along the northern edge of town, you can just discern three demons twitching and hovering in the sky. More are already moving to join them, but two of them have been successfully speared by Isidora's guards. Though they're still thrashing around like bursts of water torn from a hurricane, not beaten just yet, the pain seems to have distracted them enough that none of the guards here have fallen under their spell.

The third demon, highest in the sky, is barreling downward, directly toward Isidora as she calls out more hoarsely furious directions. Verity and Evander have already called flames into their hands. Evander gives you a desperate, trembling grin. He's expecting you to strike the thing down with your magic, of course.

This doesn't seem like the moment for Princess Despina's scheme—you have only seconds before the demon reaches the ground. You doubt you'll be running out of demons to fight anytime soon.